Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two is the upcoming sequel to Epic Mickey. Unlike its predecessor, the game will not just be available on the Wii, but also on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Microsoft Windows.

At PAX Prime 2012, I decided to play it on the Wii to get a feel for the game on its native console. That turned out to be a bit of a mistake, as my lack of familiarity with the Wii made me look a little foolish as I struggled with simple tasks. Once I got over the awkwardness of holding two controllers instead of one, I started to have a lot of fun. Waving your paintbrush around while hanging out with Mickey and the gang is sure to delight any child. I think the control scheme will appeal less to older gamers, but if they’re fans of the Disney universe they’ll still be able to get into the game.

In the last game, Oswald was one of the characters that needed Mickey’s help against the Blot. This time, Oswald actually teams up with Mickey as a co-op player, and is voiced by Optimus Prime. . . I mean Frank Welker. Additionally, Oswald’s helper, Gus the Gremlin, is voiced by Westley. . . I mean Cary Elwes. The other characters are voiced by their actual voice actors ie: Mickey is voiced by the same actor he is voiced by in the cartoons, Goofy is Goofy, etc.

As I played, the booth hunk (He was a creative director or something I’m sure, but I was totally distracted by the dimples. I will strive to be a better journalist next time, I promise.) mentioned some interesting ideas for the new game. Although Mickey would visit many of the same places, the focus would be on the musical elements and on the story of Oswald and Mickey as brothers.

I asked him why they chose to go with Oswald, a relative unknown, for the co-op partner instead of a character like Minnie Mouse. He said that Epic Mickey 2 is really a redemption story for Oswald, an awesome character that many people in our generation are completely unaware of, since he debuted in the 20s. I will accept that answer, though I really would have liked the opportunity to play a female character in the game.

Another nice aspect of the game is the choice system. It was interesting to see such an RPG dynamic in what felt like an action game. Mickey can choose whether to use thinner or paint, and those choices will affect both the gameplay and the reactions of the NPCs around him.

As my demo came to a close, I asked him the question I know we’ve all been pondering (by “all” I mean AxlCalrissian): Where is Epic DuckTales?!!!

The answer was pretty awesome. They don’t have anything planned but the creators are excited about the thought of expanding into the other shows. So maybe, one day, my little children will get to play Epic DuckTales. A-whoo ooh!

As a Disney fan and PS3 owner, I’m really looking forward to trying out Epic Mickey 2 when it is released on November 18th. The game is priced at $49.99 on the Wii, $39.99 on the PC, $34.99 on 3DS and $59.99 on the PS3 or 360.